Ebus Bus Service Trip Review

Last year Greyhound announced they were shutting down bus routes in Western Canada. I have family in the Okanagan and would use the service several times a year. I’ve also taken it to and from Whistler. It wasn’t the best service, but it was the most cost-effective way for me to get to some destinations.

Luckily early this year another bus service called Ebus began service in BC. They are providing transportation on similar routes to Greyhound. I took it in June 2019 and here are my thoughts on the experience:

• They had brand-new buses!
  • This was a big concern since they operate similar routes to Greyhound, and could have purchased old Greyhound buses.
  • I’ve experienced several Greyhound bus problems in the past. (broke down completely, or cooling system failure)
• The staff were very friendly and helpful.
• There was a safety briefing video presentation.
• The buses had seatbelts! The staff encouraged you to use them.
• One bus didn’t have seat-separating arm-rests, which I thought was strange. Luckily the bus wasn’t full so I didn’t have a neighbour for that trip.
• There was more legroom than Greyhound - this is much appreciated.
• The route to Kelowna now has Surrey and Abbotsford Airport stops.
• Overhead storage compartments have doors like on airplanes, they encourage you to use them.
• You don’t need to bring a ticket; bring your ID and they have a list of expected passengers.

Areas for improvement:

• Consistent wifi setup.
  • SSID, password, etc. At least there was no web-login portal like Greyhound which would time-out often.
• Consistent instructions.
  • Depending on the driver and where you boarded, you would get more or less information about the bus and procedures, updates on the bus schedule, etc.
• Live bus schedule system. A native and/or web app to check on current arrival times. One trip was heavily delayed due to traffic so being able to self-serve updates would have been nice. I’d be happy to consult on making this.
• Email reminders/updates ahead of booked trips.
• Prohibited items list? Seems to be no alcohol or drugs, but no mention about weapons…also no bag inspection.

Ebus is an improved experience for getting to/from Vancouver to the Okanagan. I look forward to traveling with them again.